Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes!!

(Cherry Tomatoes, 11 Weeks from plant to Harvest)

     Everyone asks me when it comes to planting and caring for tomatoes, what are the best kind to do well in the desert. I always tell them, any variety you want can do well the trick is taking care of them and pruning the plant properly. I always prune the extra foliage, which was the technique passed down to me by my forefathers, in order to put the tomato plant into a form of stress. This stress will push the plant into producing more seed to ensure a future generation of crop will be available. When you do prune the plant, that specific site will be a future node for flowers to form. DO NOT throw away your foliage that is viable as a transplant. Simply shave a bit of the stem off and drop the plant in a bit of water so it can create fresh roots.

(Julietta and Caprese Tomatoes, 10 Weeks from plant to Harvest)

     Every single time I prune my vines that way I end up with an extremely healthy bountiful harvest, like in these photos. To ensure the plant continues its flowering and growth cycle I use another technique called "trench composting". What I do is find the main root mass in the earth and bury composting crops about 1-2 feet into the ground and bury it. This will ensure that the eggshells or rotting veggies with breakdown properly without any smell and that the plant will access these beneficial bacteria through their roots without having to stretch too far to find nutrients.

(Caprese Tomatoes, 10 weeks harvest from planting)

    I always say it is better to experiment with quantities of trench composting rather than not trying it at all. We all learn from mistakes and won't exceed our boundaries without a little experimentation and R&D. I hope this helped you with some information regarding how to care for tomatoes. Be on the lookout for plant care videos in the future. I promise I won't blast you with music this time :).

Happy Gardening!!

Farmer Jeff


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Indoor Organic Tomatoes and Peppers: End of Week 4

Organic Indoor Peppers

    These guys are just looking more crowded by the week! I really need to separate them and put each plant in its own cup so the roots can fully develop before I need to transplant them in my outdoor organic garden. It is always critical to choose amazing cultivars of whatever vegetable or fruit you are planning on growing. I chose these for the size and flavour each different plant has to offer me as its gardener. I always find myself looking for a little bit of heat for whatever I am usually eating, so I thought why not grow some jalapenos because they have a good heat and are a great addition to majority of dishes. That is one example of why we should all grow what we like to eat. It's extremely convenient and a huge money saver in the long run.

Organic Indoor Tomatoes

    So on to my tomatoes, I chose these guys for diversity as well as for flavour. These guys are sure to pack a punch on any palette, this is my first time growing Blue Beauty tomatoes from Wild Boar Farms and all I have heard/read about it are amazing things. I cannot have a garden without any tomatoes thriving in it. It is just a taboo for me. I use tomatoes for a load of recipes which range for any time of the day. After I started growing tomatoes, I refused to eat any of the tomatoes that were sold at the markets. The difference in taste was undeniable. Fresh grown tomatoes are on a whole different level than the ones we see everyday. For this delicacy you truly need to grow your own tomatoes. I chose on growing the Roman tomatoes again just because I cannot get enough of them.

    I hope you guys enjoyed this weeks update, stay tuned for my weekly updates. Until next time friends...

¤ Keep it GREEN and Keep it GROWING



HyperSmash

Indoor Garden Solo Cup Update: Start of Week 2

    How amazing is all that growth?! Look at the vibrant green showing. It is just absolutely awe inspiring that with my little effort of help, has granted these plants the ability to produce healthy and fresh energy for me to consume. I water each one once every other day, which is about when the soil starts to dry out. That in itself takes only about 5 minutes of my time! I'm quite amazed with the progress, for me this show of growth is usually between week three and week four. I am going to grow everything in these Solo Cups until about 9 weeks so the roots will be super strong and healthy for when I transplant them outside into my outdoor garden. I will eventually thin out my tomatoes and peppers to their own individual Solo Cups, in order to let the plant mature properly.

    This is by far the cheapest way to go about getting your rare herbs for your signature dishes. You normally will pay $5.99 to $8.99 for an ounce of rare cooking herbs, but if you grow them it'll cost you around $1.00 to $1.50. Not only are you saving money, you are learning about the food you use and eventually can pass on your talent to other people so they can enjoy easy access to an item that costs quite a bit for what it's really worth at the Market.

    I cannot say enough how rewarding growing your own food can be, especially since it's started in a drink cup! Ever since I planted my first tomato plant, I started growing everything I could that is edible. I share this lifestyle with my family, friends, people I meet on the street and you my readers. I bought these cups at the dollar store, and they are completely efficient. The lights I am using is an one hundred watt fluorescent lights on a ballast. The cups are about a foot away from the lights right now to promote seed growth and to enhance the sprouting rate from the heat the light gives off. These plants should look really pretty around late January to early February.

    Nothings better than being able to share my life with you guys. It's awesome. I truly love gardening it is one of my greatest passions and it brings me peace to my life. A complete stress reliever. Try gardening sometime and may you sow your rewards to reap later! Until next time...

Keep it Green and Keep it Growing!







HyperSmash